Aerated spray device



Oct. 28, 1958 J. J. GOODRIE AERATED SPRAY DEVICE Filed Aug. 23. 1954 TOR aane INVEN ([50 a??? 49 Mblu United States Patent AERATED SPRAY DEVICE Joseph J. Goodrie, Chicago, 111., assignor to Wrightway Engineering Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application August 23, 1954, Serial No. 451,547

6 Claims. (Cl. 261-116) This invention relates to improvements in spray devices, and more particularly to a novel non-splashing spray device useful on kitchen sinks and the like.

Kitchen sinks are frequently provided with a flexible hose and spray head arrangement which the housewife finds particularly useful in rinsing dishes, vegetables, etc. Usually, such a spray head includes a manually operable valve and the hose is interconnected with a pressure responsive diverter valve at the main water faucet fixture of the sink. By manipulation of the spray head valve, the pressure responsive diverter valve is actuated so that the water stream can be selectively directed either through the main faucet outlet in the ordinary manner or through the spray head for providing a water spray consisting of a multiplicity of fine diverging streams. As is well known, a spray of this type is highly effective for rinsing purposes. Other uses are also made of the diverter type spray arrangements, e. g. in bathroom sinks, barber and beauty shops, baby bath sprays, etc.

Although water sprays are highly useful for the foregoing and other purposes, their use is frequently accompanied by severe splashing of the Water thereby causing in convenience to the housewife or other user. This difficulty with splashing is especially pronounced in localities having high water pressure mains. For example, the usual domestic water pressure is on the order of 30 pounds per square inch but there are certain areas where the normal pressure is as high as 70 to 80 pounds per square inch. With the conventional spray devices heretofore known, excessive splashing is unavoidable at such high water pressures and the usefulness of the spray is, therefore, seriously impaired.

Of course, aerating devices of various types are now widely used on water faucets and the like for producing a soft, bubbly, non-splashing stream, but with prior devices of this type the usual objective has been to provide a unitary coherent water stream as contrasted with the multiplicity of fine divergent or spreading streams characteristic of a rinsing type spray. Consequently, the known aerating devices have not been satisfactory for attachment to a spray head of the type herein involved,

sinks or the like which is characterized by the substantial elimination of splashing in the spray stream.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel aerator device which when attached to a water outlet or the like provides a divergent aerated spray stream which is substantially non-splashing.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel spray head structure adapted to produce a divergent spray of aerated water suitable for rinsing purposes or the like but without objectional splashing even under high water pressure.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a novel aerated spray device adapted to be attached to the spray head of a divergent type spray means and operable to produce a divergent non-splashing spray regardless of the particular structure or arrangement of the spray head to which the invention is attached.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

because, although they reduce splashing, they also diminish the size or extent of spread of the spray stream to such a degree that the chief value of the spray as a rapid and eifective rinsing device is greatly diminished. Moreover, with certain types of previously known aerating devices, proper functioning of the aerator is impaired by reason of the peculiar structure of the spray head itself or the flow path of the water stream therein.

Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a novel spray device for use on kitchen Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a typical diverter spray fixture having attached thereto an aerated spray device comprising one specific embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and showing in schematic fashion the, general pattern of the spray stream emerging from. the device;

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the device;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 44 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of the device showing the manner of assembly of the component parts.

Referring first to Fig. l of the drawing, the invention is illustrated in conjunction with the spray head of a diverter type spray arrangement as used on kitchen sinks and the like. The spray head, indicated generally at 10, has an elongated tapered tubular connecting portion 11 having an outlet control valve portion 12 at one end and having a flexible rubber hose 13 connected at its other end. It will be understood that the hose 13 extends to a faucet fixture on the sink and communicates with a pressure responsive diverter value therein. A manually depressible finger piece or lever 14 extends from the valve portion 12 for manipulating the internal valve mechanism. The aerating spray device comprising the subject matter of the present invention is indicated generally at 16 and is detachably secured at the bottom or outlet end of the valve portion 12.

Referring now to Figs. 2 to 5, the aerating spray device 16 comprises a tubular sleeve or casing 17 having an externally threaded upper end portion 18 whereby the device 16 is detachably connected to an internally threaded lower end portion 19 on the spray head valve portion 12. The casing 17 has a peripheral knurled or roughened exterior portion 20 to facilitate attachment and detachment of the device. An annular rubber washer 21 is interposed and retained between the inner axial end of the casing 17 and an internal shoulder portion 22 on the valve chamber housing. This rubber washer 21 serves as a valve seat against which a vertically movable valve member 23 may be seated for stopping the flow of water from the spray device. Although not shown in the draw ing, it will be understood that the valve member 23 is normally spring pressed downwardly into seating engagement with the washer 21 but is retractable therefrom for opening the valve by depression of the operating lever 14. In Fig. 2, the valve 23 is shown in open position.

The tubular sleeve or casing 17 has a central axial bore 24 for permitting the passage of fluid therethrough from the valve portion 12 of the spray head, and the lower or outer axial end of the casing 17 is provided with a counterbore portion 26- of greater diameter than the central bore 24 so as to define a shoulder 27 therebetween. Seated against the shoulder portion 27 is a disk 28 having a plurality of apertures or openings 29 which in this case are arranged in circular fashion (Figs. 3- and 4'). A depending; break-up or mixing plug, indicated generally at 31, is suspended centrally from the disk 28 and preferably has the generally mushroomlike configuration shown in Figs. 2 and 5, this particular configuration having been found to give highly effective performance as hereinafter described. The plug 31 has a restricted neck portion 32 immediately below the apertured disk 28 and then an abrupt radially extending enlargement, or button portion 33 which provides the primary water jet break-up function of the device. The enlargement 33 has a smoothly curved shoulder or downwardly rounded portion 34 disposed beneath the apertures 29 so that water jets formed by flow of water through the disk openings 29 may impinge thereon. This enlarged portion 33 of the break-up plug 31 may be said" to have a generally toroidal or oblate spheroidal shape. The bottom of the plug 31 is' substantially flat, as at 35, and the side wall of. the plug has a smooth curved juncture 36 with the flat bottom 35. A retaining' collar or ring 37 has a tight frictional fit within the counterbore 26 for supporting the disk 28 and holding the latter in tight engagement with the internal shoulder 27.

As seen in Fig. 5, the component parts of the device are easily assembled to provide a final unitary structure. The apertured disk 28 and the breakup plug 31 constitute a separate unitv sub-assembly, the plug 31 being permanently secured to the disk. 28' by inserting.

an, upper reduced end of the plug through an aperture in the disk and upsetting or deforming the projecting plug end, as at 38 (Fig. 2), in substantially the same manner as in a riveting operation. The interconnected disk and plug sub-assembly is then inserted in the counterbore 26' of the casing 17' and thereafter the retaining collar 37 is press fitted into tight frictional engagement within the counterbore portion 26 for. completing the assembly.

In operation, water under pressure flowsfrom the valve chamber 12 into the upper or inlet end of the casing 17 and is forced through the small apertures 29 in the disk 28 thereby creating a multiplicity of fine separate jets of water below the disk 28. Because of their discrete or relatively separate nature, these jets are entirely surrounded by air which freely enters the space or zone 39 defined between the plug 31, the ring 37, and the disk 28. As the Water jets pass downwardly through this space while surrounded by air, the air becomes. entrained in the jets and the latter then impinge with considerable force against. the curved shoulder portion 34 of the plug 31. This violent impingement of the water jets against the curved plug surface. causes considerable break-up and diversion of the jets in all directions thereby further intimately mixing the water andthe. air. Obviously, some of the water will be thrown back against the underside of the disk 28 and some will also be thrown outwardly against the ring 37. Furthermore, some of the water will also adhere tothe plug 31. as a. thin film andpass downwardly in a coherent stream as described hereinafter.

Ascontrastedwith most aerator structures. of the type heretofore known for providing a unitary coherent nonsplashing aerated water stream, the device of the present invention is characterized by the complete absence of any restricting enclosure or deflecting casing below the break-up plug 31. Consequently, the aerated liquid which emerges from the annular outlet, designated at 40, between the plug 31 and the ring 37 assumes the divergent spray pattern indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 2. A certain amount of the aerated water adheres to the plug 31 within the zone 39 and flows downwardly around the curved surface 36 to the flat bottom portion 35 thereof and thence passes downwardly as a more or less coherent central aerated stream 41 having a relatively narrow diameter as compared with the diameter of the plug 31. The remainder of the aerated water emerges from the restricted annular opening 40 in the form of a divergent outwardly spreading group of fine circumferentially arranged aerated streams, as indicated at 42. In other words, the final" spray pattern is char-- acterized by a central coherent stream 41 and" a surrounding cone-shaped divergent group of individual spray streams or jets 42 having a substantially smaller diameter. Both the central stream 41 and the outermost diverging streams 42 are completely aerated so as to have the desired soft, bubbly, non-splashing characteristics. Although the outermost circumferentially spaced spray streams 42 have an identifiable independent relationship it will, of course, be understood that the space in betweenthe separate streams 42' and between the streams 42 and the central stream 41 contains an even finer dispersion of aerated water or spray, as indicated at 43. Thus, my invention provides a water spray which has all the desirable characteristics of a rinsing spray in that it' comprises a plurality of fine streams which diverge outwardly soas to cover a large effective area for rinsing purposes or the like, and at the same time all of the undesirable splashing characteristics of such sprays have'been substantially eliminated.

In order to achieve the foregoing desirable operation, I have found that certain features of the structure of my device are quite important. In the first place, as mentioned above, there is no surrounding casing or enclosure below the break-up plug 31 which would result in inward deflection and restriction of the aerated and broken-up streams to coalesce the same to a single coherent stream. Likewise, the casing 17 of the device is imperforate and has no separate air ports as is customary in aerating devices heretofore known. On the contrary, the entire aerating process takes place substantially in the open atmosphere with the atmospheric air being freely admissible to the generally annular mixing and break-up zone 39 solely through the annular passage 40. Moreover, it is quite important that the break-up plug 31 extend below thelower end of the casing 17 and ring 37 but with the curved upper shoulder portion 34 of the break-up plug being enclosed by the ring 37 and terminating approximately at the lower axial end of the ring 37. In other words, the axial depth of the depending skirt'defined by the ring 37 and the surrounding casing 17 has been found to be an important factor in obtaining the desired spray pattern. Asseen" in Fig. 2, the depth of this skirt portion is'preferably' just great enough so that the upper curved shoulder portion 34 of the plug 31 is surrounded. If the relative proportions shown in Fig. 2 are departed from to any' appreciable extent, the desiredspray pattern is not obtained. For example, if. the depth of the skirt portion or ring 37 relative tothe plug 31 is substantially increased, the deflecting effect of the skirt is so great that the spray pattern is seriously narrowed and approaches the single coherent stream characteristic of. the conventional aerator. On. the other hand, if'the depth of. the skirt portion defined by the ring 37 relative to the plug 31 is appreciably decreased, the extent of divergence or spread of the spray becomes too large for convenient or satisfactory operation. Consequently, in order to. obtain optimum results,.the. depth. of the skirt portion. defined by the ring 37 must be correlated'with the total axial depth of the plug 31 below the disk 28 to provide the desired gradually divergent spray pattern. Of course, the size of the annular outlet 40 will have some effect on the operation of the device, but, generally speaking, satisfactory operation will be obtained if the total area of this annular opening 40 is greater than the combined area of the openings 29 in the disk 28 so that there is no tendency for incoming water to collect in and fill up the space 39 and so that air may freely pass upwardly into this space through the opening 40. Although there may be some variation in the shape of the break-up plug 31, the generally toroidal or oblate spheroidal shape shown in Figs. 2 and 5 has been found to give by far the best results.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a particular structural embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that various modifications and equivalent structures may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An aerated spray device comprising tubular casing structure having an inlet and an outlet at opposite ends thereof, a disk mounted in said casing structure adjacent the outlet end thereof and having a plurality of relatively small apertures adapted to form a multiplicity of fine discrete jets upon passage of liquid therethrough, said casing structure providing an outer skirt portion extending below said disk, and a break-up and mixing body rigidly supported below said disk and projecting therefrom below the end of said skirt portion with the latter in fixed relation to said body, said body having a short neck portion of restricted diameter immediately below said disk and a radially projecting enlargement extending abruptly from said neck portion in spaced relation below said disk, said enlargement having a downwardly curved upper shoulder portion underlying the apertures in said disk for impingement thereon of the discrete liquid jets from said disk and thereby defining a mixing and break-up zone in the space immediately below said disk and between said skirt portion and said enlargement, said enlargement also having a substantially fiat bottom portion and an outwardly curved side wall smoothly joining said shoulder portion and said bottom portion whereby a part of the eflluent fluid from said device adheres to and flows along the curved shoulder portion and the curved side wall of said enlargement and is discharged from said flat bottom portion as a coherent stream, and said skirt portion being radially spaced from said enlargement to define an annular opening therebetween greater in area than the total area of the apertures in said disk whereby to prevent filling of said zone with liquid and thereby facilitating free passage of outside air to said zone and mixing of the air with the liquid jets.

2. A device according to claim 1 and furthercharacterized in that said casing structure isimperforate intermediate the inlet and outlet ends thereof.

3. An aerated spray device comprising tubular casing structure including a sleeve having an inlet and an outlet at opposite ends thereof with a counterbore portion at the outlet end thereof, a disk mounted in said counterbore portion and having a plurality of relatively small apertures adapted to form a multiplicity of fine discrete jets upon passage of liquid therethrough, a retaining ring frictionally fitted in said counterbore portion below said disk for retaining the latter in place, said sleeve providing an outer skirt portion extending below said disk, and a break-up and mixing body rigidly supported below said disk and projecting therefrom below the end of said skirt portion with the latter in fixed relation to said body, said body having a short neck portion of restricted diameter immediately below said disk and a radially projecting enlargement extending abruptly from said neck portion in spaced relation below said disk and underlying the apertures in said disk for impingement thereon of the discrete liquid jets from said disk and thereby defining a mixing and break-up zone in the space immediately below said enlargement to define an annular opening therebe v tween greater in area than the total area of the apertures in said disk whereby to prevent filling of said zone with liquid and thereby facilitating free passage of outside air to said zone and mixing of the air with the liquid jets.

4. An aerated spray device comprising tubular casing structure having an inlet and an outlet at opposite ends thereof, a disk mounted in said casing structure adjacent the outlet end thereof and having a plurality of 'relatively small apertures adapted to form a multiplicity of fine discrete jets upon passage of liquid therethrough, said casing structure providing an outer skirt portion extending below said disk, and a break-up and mixing body rigidly supported below said disk and projecting therefrom below the end of said skirt portion with the latter in fixed relation to said body, said body having a short neck portion of restricted diameter immediately below said disk and a radially projecting enlargement extending abruptly from said neck portion in spaced relation below said disk and underlying the apertures in said disk for impingement thereon of the discrete liquid jets from said disk and thereby defining a mixing and break-up zone in the space immediately below said disk and between said skirt portion and said enlargement, said skirt portion being radially spaced from said enlargement to define an annular opening therebetween greater in area than the total area of the apertures in said disk whereby to prevent filling of said zone with liquid and thereby facilitating free passage of outside air to said zone and mixing of the air with the liquid jets, and the axial depth of said skirt portion below said disk being fixed relative to said break-up and mxing body and being sufiiciently less than the axial depth of said body below said disk to provide the aerated fluid emerging from said annular opening with a divergent spray pattern.

5. An aerated spray device comprising a tubular casing structure having an inlet and an outlet at opposite ends thereof, said casing structure having means at the inlet end thereof for attaching the same to a liquid supply and said casing structure being imperforate intermediate the inlet and outlet ends thereof with a counterbore portion at the outlet end thereof, a disk having a plurality of relatively small apertures adapted to form a multiplicity of fine discrete jets upon passage of liquid therethrough and mounted in said counterbore portion adjacen to but spaced axially inwardly from the outlet end of the casing structure so that the outlet end portion of the casing structure defines a skirt portion depending below said disk, a retaining ring frictionally fitted in said counterbore portion below said disk for retaining the latter in place, and a break-up and mixing body affixed to said disk and depending therefrom below the lower axial end of said skirt portion with the latter in fixed relation to said body, said body having a short neck portion of restricted diameter immediately below said disk and a radially projecting enlargement extending abruptly from said neck portion in spaced relation below said disk and underlying the apertures in said disk for impingement thereon of the discrete jets of liquid from said disk whereby to define a mixing and break-up zone in the space below said disk and between said skirt portion and said enlargement, the lower projecting portion of said body being completely unrestricted and unsurrounded and said enlargement and said skirt portion having an annular fluid passage therebetween which is completely free of external circumferential restrictions and which has an area greater than the total apertured area of said disk whereby to prevent filling of said zone with liquid so that outside air has free access to said zone solely through said annular passage, and the axial depth of said skirt portion below said disk being fixed relative to said break-up and mixing body and being sufiiciently less than the axial depth of said body below said disk f0" provide the aerated fluid emerging from said Refelenc'sCi'ted in the file of this patent annula'r passage wifli adivergent spray attern; 1

' 6'. The deviceac'cdrdihg t'o cl'aim 5 further characterized i STATES PATENTS Q v inthat saidradilly prbjecting' enlargement of said break- 2,086,017 a July 6r 7 up and mixing body is fbr'med to have a downwardly 5 21,395,521 B i 3 2 curved uppershoulder portion adapted to have the liquid 215143595 9 P? 5 jets impinge thereon; a substantial-1 y flat bottom portion, 2; Nfilsen WW and an outwardly curved side wall smoothly joining said 2,552,445" i y 8'' 9 shoulderportfon:and saifl boftom portion, whereby a part 2,707,624 Shames" et May 1 51 of me eifiuentzfluidfrom said device adheres to" and flows- 10 2,741,467 Lee eti Apr; 10,

albn'g' theflcurvedshoulder portion and the curved side wall of said enl algeme'zit and is discharged from said flat bottom po'rtioir as a coherent stream. 

